File sharing and on-line gaming are becoming extremely popular. However, these peer-to-peer applications depend on the speed of signal transmission between network components. For example, the distance that signals have to travel between users on the Internet (e.g., network distance), the longer in time it may take for the applications to communicate with each other. As a result, any delay in communication (e.g., latency) leads to substantially reduced performance in file sharing or on-line gaming applications. Current systems determine relative network distance between users based on geography or individual pings. However, neither is particularly useful. Geographical distance is not the same as a network distance in peer-to-peer operations. For example, the network distance in which a packet or signal may travel between two users in two different cities may be shorter than a packet or signal traveling between two users living next door to each other. Individual pings provide information relating to network distance but are adequate for only a small number of users. For example, it is highly impractical or nearly impossible for a user to send individual pings to a large number of users, e.g., numbering in the hundreds, thousands, or millions. As a result, current systems lack a technique for comprehensively and effectively determining latency based on network distances between users to optimize on-line interactivity and Internet performance.